The Necklace
by doodleswriter357
Summary: Artie picks Tina in the Glee club's Secret Santa exchange and wants to get her the perfect gift for Christmas.


**Just a little holiday cheer in regards to this fabulous pairing that I haven't written fluff about in a long time. I'm a little shocked myself that it's not angst. It was inspired by a tiny scene in the Christmas episode. Enjoy.**

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><p>In keeping with the holiday spirit, Mr. Schuester had suggested that they do a Secret Santa exchange within the club. Everyone agreed eagerly and they ended up drawing names at the end of the meeting. Artie was surprised to find that he had pulled Tina's name. They hadn't really talked in awhile and it was going to be a little difficult finding something for her. She had changed so much over the summer, and he wasn't sure if her tastes had changed with her wardrobe. He tucked the piece of paper into his pocket and resolved to figure it out when the time got closer.<p>

Normally he would have gotten her new fingerless gloves or a gift certificate to the hair salon where she got her extensions put in. Now he would have to figure out something else. Mr. Schuester hadn't set a price limit but he had suggested that they actually find something that the person would truly like, and not just stop by the dollar store the day before. Artie had actually asked Mercedes for help but she just replied,

"You guys are friends. You'll be able to figure something out."

Artie resigned himself to carefully observing Tina for the next week. It was hard to figure out what she liked; she usually sat quietly in the back during Glee club and they only had one class together (which she usually slept through). He was starting to think that he would have to just get her something impersonal because he was coming up blank. Considering the fact that they used to be best friends and even dated for awhile, he was disappointed with himself.

However, he had a burst of inspiration over the weekend. His mother was going through old catalogs and asked him to throw out a pile while she continued sorting them. As he was heading to the kitchen, he happened to notice one of them looking rather familiar.

_Tina had come over to his house after Glee that day and they decided to make cookies. It resulted in the both of them being covered in flour, but the cookies did end up coming out all right. After cleaning up, they retired to the living room with the plate of cookies. Tina pulled a catalog off the end table and started paging through it. _

"_Isn't this pretty?" she asked Artie, showing him a picture of a necklace. It was a slender key with the top of the key twisting into the shape of a heart._

"_Totally," he agreed before glancing at the price and wincing a little. "Although you might be able to buy a car for less._

_She grimaced at the price and turned the page. "Well one day after you become rich and famous, you can buy that for me."_

"_I'll keep that in mind," he said jokingly as she snuggled up next to him._

Artie extracted the catalog from the stack and set it aside from the others that were pitched into the garbage. It took him a few minutes, but he eventually found the necklace that had captured Tina's attention. The price was still the same, but he knew that with some searching, he'd be able to find it online for a more reasonable price.

Sure enough, he was able to find a much cheaper version of the necklace and wrapped it as soon as it got to the house. He put it under the Glee club's tree while talking to the representative from the TV station and was relieved that he got the present out of the way so he could focus on the special.

They had decided to have the Secret Santa exchange on the Monday before break because some people were leaving early for break. Mr. Schuester had them arrange their chairs in a circle around the tree and they took turns handing out their presents. Artie got a large box from Finn and was curious as to what was in it. Once everyone had gotten their presents, Mr. Schue allowed them to tear into them. Artie burst out laughing when he finally saw what Finn had gotten him. It was a blue sweater vest that had a scene from a Mario video game on it.

"Do you like it?" Finn asked from where he was sitting a couple of seats down.

"Dude, this is awesome!" Artie exclaimed. "I can't believe I've never seen this one before."

"Kurt helped me pick it out," Finn admitted sheepishly. "He's better with clothes than me."

"Well I saw it on display and I actually thought it was you for a second," the other boy said from across the circle where he had shrugged on his own gift, a cashmere sweater from Sam. "So I told Finn that he should get that for you."

Artie had pulled off his Christmas sweater and was about to pull his new vest over his head when someone warm latched around his neck. It took him a few seconds to realize that it was Tina hugging him. Her long hair tickled his face and he could tell that it was her by the smell of her perfume.

"Oh Artie, this is beautiful!" she said as she pulled away from him. "I love it." She had the necklace clasped in her hand and was giving him a look that he hadn't seen in a long time.

"You didn't spend too much on this did you?" she asked worriedly. "It was so much."

"No, I found it for cheaper online," he assured her. She gave him a curious smile.

"I can't believe that you remembered that I wanted this," she said softly. "That was so long ago."

"Well I know you really liked it," he said. "And it's perfect for you."

Her grin grew bigger and she spun suddenly and knelt down in front of him. "Can you put it on please?"

He grabbed the ends of the necklace from her and pulled them to the back of her neck. Carefully pulling her hair to the side, he clasped the two ends together. She shivered slightly when his hands brushed the back of her neck, but shook it off. He pulled her hair back and she turned around.

"How does it look?" she asked.

"Beautiful," he replied with a smile. She returned it before giving him another hug and skipping off to show Mercedes. He sat back in his seat and reflected on what had happened. So far, it was definitely looking up to be a fantastic Christmas.

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><p><em>Feedback is much appreciated as always and I wish everyone a Happy Holidays!<em>


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